Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Me on Hexed

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won't stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn't want to be her? Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie's world, she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn't get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that's seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she's a witch too. Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie's about to uncover the many dark truths about her life, and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Hexed is mysterious and intriguing. High school isn't just about cheer practice, popularity, and boyfriends, as Indigo soon discovers. Sometimes it's about witches and sorcerers and running for her life. This debut is filled with growing tension and clever dialogue.

Indigo is a number of things when it comes to being the main character. She's sharp, clever, curious, and she's filled with snark. Her biggest weapons at times are her sharp tongue, quick wit, and attitude. She's not bossy but she's serious. She's determined. She needs to know what's going on and what she has to do to fix the massive problem that's fallen into her lap. Her verbal battles with Bishop were the best parts, sparring with words with a guy who looks slick and acts like a child with a smart mouth and no filter.

The witches and sorcerers and their ongoing war certainly add suspense, secrets, and shadows to Indie's normal high school days. She suddenly has bigger things to worry about than cheerleading and Bianca's popularity pressure. She has people coming after her with the heartless intent to hurt and quite possibly kill her. That sure puts things in perspective. And Indie does get scared. It's okay for her to be scared, for her to cry and scream for someone to save her. It's also okay for her to take charge and work her own plans if it doesn't look like anything else will work out.

This book does for me with witches what Kathleen Peacock's Hemlock did for me with werewolves. There's lots of intrigue and suspicion, a lot of teenage attitude, and good chemistry between Indigo and Bishop (even when they're arguing). It's an intriguing mix of contemporary with its high school teen angst and paranormal with some sudden secret magic and some bad guys hellbent on getting their revenge. I'm really looking forward to the next book.